Description: The Yakhont, SS-N-26 codename, is an advanced supersonic, long range, anti-ship missile intended for surface ships, submarines and coastal defense batteries. It is a liquid fuel ramjet-powered version of SS-N-7 Starbright missile enabled to be launched by canisters and VLS. The missile features an inertial navigation system to reach the target area with an active radar homing in the terminal phase of the flight. It has been designed to operate in severe countermeasure environments and features improved maneuverability and reduced signatures over the SS-N-7 for improved survivability.
The Yakhont is a fire and forget missile and features several launch modes in accordance with the target characteristics and location. The missile can use a high-low flight pattern for targets located at up to 300 km. The low-low flight pattern can be used against targets at ranges of 120 km or against well protected targets in order to be surprised minimizing its reaction time against the incoming missile and optimizing the missile's kill probability. During the low flight profile the Yakhont missile is able to fly at altitudes between 5 and 15 meters like a sea-skimming missile.
The Yakhont is intended as a Russian surface ships and submarines anti-ship missile. It has been designed to defeat ships protected by the US AEGIS weapon system and its European counterparts. A group of several Yakhont missiles can attack a given target with one missile flying at an altitude of 15,000-ft (5,000 meters) while transmitting target data to the other missiles flying at 10-15 meters above sea level. The P-800 missiles operated by the Russian Armed Forces may have a maximum range of 600 kilometers.